Automatic switch



March 24, 1925 W. D. WOODWARD AUTOMATIC SWITCH Filed June 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mfi adzaai i March 24, 1925. 1,530,970 W. D. WOODWARD I AUTOMATI C SWI TCH' Filed June 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

UMTESTATS' WILLIAM IJOUGLAS WGODWAR-ID, OF V7 GHAZY, NEV

ream er YORK. nssionon or onnnnnr TO CHARLES A. LEFEE, 01E PLATTSBURG, NEW? YORK.

AUTOMATIC SNITCH.

Application filedJune 2c, 1923. Serial No. 646,632.

To all ruinous it may concern:

it known that l, VViLLLiM DOUGLAS inviino, a citizen of the United filt ates at est Cherry, in the county of nton and State or". 'hlew York, have inted new and useful Automatic Switch, oil which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide a means whereby a switch may be set for a siding, by an approaching train'or vehicle, the switch being autoi'natically restored. to main line position, after the train has entered the it within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility or devices of that type towhich' the invent-ion appertains' With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, witl'iin the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invent-ion.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in top plan, a switch mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective View disclosing one of the switch members; Figure 3 is a perspective view disclosing the other of ti e switch members; F igure 4 is a side elevation of the actuating bar; Figure is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a transverse section taken through the sup port or casing; Figure 7 is a longitudinal section taken through the casing, the line 6 6 of Figure 7 indicating the cutting plane on which Figure 6 is taken; Figure 8 is a cross section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 1; Figure 9 is a similar cross seotion, showing a modification;

The numeral 1 designates ties, carrying a main track rail 2 and a main trac-krail 8, one of the siding rails being marked by the numeral 4%, and the other of the siding rails being designated by the numeral 5. A rail of peculiar construction constitutes a continuation of the rail 5, and, as shown in F are 8, is made up of angle members 6, the rail under consideration beingdesignated generally by the numeral 7.

then the wheel of a passing The numeral 8 designates, generally, a switch member comprising an arm 9 and a headlO, the arm 9 being pivoted at 11. to the inside of the railQj and so const4ted that when the arm 10 is raised, herein after described, the head 10 will bridge the space between the mainline rail 2 and the siding rail 3, thereby deflecting the wheel of scar from the rail 2 to the rail 4r, assuming that the train is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Figure 1.

The numeral 12- dc-signates a switch member made up of an arm M and a head 15, the arm M being pivoted at 16 tothe members fi of the rail '3' and lying between the said members. The head is so constructed that when it is raised, itwill bridge a space 1'? existing in the-rail 3, the rail 3 having an off-set portion 1.8 disposed adjacent to said space and alined with the rail 7. FVhen the head 15, however, is lowered, car or engine, traversing the rail 3 in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1 will move from the rail 3 upon the off-set -18 and pass thence upon the rail'7. I Y

The numeral 19 designates a box-like sup-I port having alid- 2-0 which is hingedly mounted, as shown at 21 and is held closed by any suitable means indicated at 29. v A shaft 23 extends longitudinally of the sup port 19 and is journaled in bearings 24 in the support, the shaft having crank 25, which, as shown in Figure 7 coacts with the head 10 of the switch member 8. The shaft 23 is supplied with a crank 26, adapted to coact with the head 15 of the switch member 12. The cranks 26 and 25 are so set that when the crank 26 raises the head 15 off the switch member 12 the crank 25 will permit the head 10 of the switch member 8 to move downwardly and vice-verse. A weight 27 is mounted on the shaft 23 and is located within the support 19, the cranks 25 and 26 being so disposed with respect to the weight- 27 that the weight tends to maintain the switch members 8 and 12 set for the main track. In its lower edge, the weight 27 has seats 28 adapted to be engaged by spring pawls 29, mounted on the bottom of the support 19, and operating to hold the weight; yieldingly but securely in the depending position delineated in Figure 6.

cranks 30, whereon operating members or bars 31 are pivoted at one end. Each operating member 31 is mounted at its opposite end on a swinging support 32, mounted to rock in bearings 33 carried by one of the ties 1, the operating members 31 being beveled, each, at one end, as shown at 1, so that a car-carried means, of any desired sort described, may ride readily on the operat lng members 2. It may be desirable at times to throw the switch by hand, and, with this consideration in mind, the shaft- 23 carries, as shown in Figure 7, a beveled pinion 35, meshing with a beveled pinion 36, carried by a shaft 37, the shaft being journaled in a switch stand 88, mounted on certain of the ties 1, or otherwise disposed. ,The numeral 39 designates any suitable means for rotating the shaft 37 by hand. In order that the hand-operated mechanism may not interfere with the automatic throwing of the switch, a portion of the beveled pinion 36 on the shaft 37 is smooth, as designated by the numeral 40.

It is obvious that when the head 10 of the switch member 8 is lowered, and when the head 15 of the switch member 12 is raised, the continuity of the main track will be maintained. switch in the direction of the arrow A on the main track, depresses. one of the operating members 31, rotation is imparted to the shaft 23, the crank 25' raises. the head 10 of the switch member 8 and lowers the head 15 of the switch member 12, and, then,

to prevent the shaft 28 from rockin sav A vehicle, approaching the tween theconstituent parts 6 of the siding rail 7, the structure shown in Figure 9 may be used if desired, the member 1 1 being replaced by a channel 41, inverted slidably over the flange 1-2 of a rail including a base 43.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with main and siding rails, of vertically swinging switch members cooperating with the main and siding rails, a shaft mounted for rocking move ment and provided with angularly disposed cranks coacting with the switch members, a weight carried by the shaft, and an operating member mounted for longitudinal movement and for swinging movement, the shaft having a crank whereon the operating member is pivoted and means for supporting the operating member for movement.

2. The combination with main and siding rails, of vertically swinging switch members cooperating with the main and siding rails, a shaft-mounted for rocking movement and provided with angularly disposed cranks enacting with the switch members, a weight carried by the shaft, mechanism for actuating the shaft, said mechanism being so constructed as to be operated by a passing car, and mechanism for holding the shaft yieldingly against rocking movement, said mechanism embodyinga spring pawl, engaging the weight releasably.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto athxed my signature in the presence oi' two witnesses.

WILLEAM DOUGLAS WOOEWARDQ Witnesses LEROY A. "Woonwnnn, LILLIE M. WOODWARD. 

